Black Friday is the day retailers finally see profit after months of stocking inventory and slow summer sales. As we approach the holiday shopping season, the fall season is an ideal time for ecommerce businesses to increase word-of-mouth awareness as well as sales.
These are some statistics that show the current state of holiday shopping season.
- E-commerce is responsible for more than 20% in total U.S. retail sales during the holiday season.
- 40% of holiday shoppers started shopping before November.
- Over a third of Americans purchased online during Black Friday/Cyber Monday, compared with just under a third (100,000,000) who went to stores.
- Online sales reached $211 Billion in 2o21. This is an increase of 10% compared to 2020 and more than half compared to 2019.
Marketers, founders, and owners of e-commerce cannot wait until Black Friday to start building awareness. It is smart to begin now in order to prepare for the holiday season, and to automate all of the tasks you should have been doing throughout the year. Content marketing!
We'll be sharing 8 tips that you can use to grow your holiday season.
Tip #1: Reach Out To Your Best Customers
You can tap into the power and pleasure of customer delight by mobilizing your top customers. Customer delight is about creating amazing experiences for customers who love you and spend a lot.
Customer delight means doing more than just providing excellent customer service. The delight part is about surprising customers with something new. We send our clients a box filled with locally-sourced specialty chocolates. The fun pun is on the content.
John & Kira's is the company that fulfilled this gift. They just sent my wife and me a sample box of chocolates. We used them last holiday season to give as gifts. Smart! Smart!
How can customer delight be used to increase word-of-mouth sales in the fall ahead of the holiday season?
If you're an e-commerce company, 20% of your customers will account for 80% (the 80-20 rule). The first step is to identify the top 20% of your customers. This is easy – it's just data. Next, you'll want to identify your most happy customers.
It may be worth looking at customers who have given you reviews or sent you thank you letters. To find out who you love the most, you could also consider repeat customers or recurring customers.
You can then create a list of your top customers and send something to them. You could send them a sample of your product or some chocolate. You might also include gift ideas for the holiday season. You could even send a thank you note to them for their business in the past – they don't do that anymore.
Include a handwritten note to thank them for being such a loyal customer. If they don't mind giving you a review, you might ask them to do so. You could also tell a friend how much you love them, or give them a coupon code. Whatever motivates them to take action on your behalf. It's important to say thank you to them for being awesome and then ask them to do something.
Bonus: Write about your process, and make it a customer-pleasing campaign. It can be shared on your blog or on social media. Make a TikTok about the gift-giving process. You want the world to know that you appreciate your loyal customers and would love to invite others to join this small community.
Employees are a great resource for word-of mouth. You can ask them to share and write content, but don't force it. Ask them to be internal ambassadors for the brand. However, if they don't feel comfortable sharing press releases or product promotions with others, ask them not to.
This is why you want to hire people who are interested in this job! Why would employees want to do this job? It helps them create their own brand. It is important to create content that people want to share. These stories can be customer delight stories (see above), insider coupon codes or bring your dog to work days. All these stories encourage word-of mouth conversations about your brand.
Be careful. You must be 100% authentic.
Bonus: Create a campaign around this idea that your employees can share. You can make it a contest or create a leaderboard. You can reward the most influential ambassadors by asking them to use a unique number for all the content they share. To show the world how cool your company is, share your campaign story.
Double Bonus Read our complete guide on managing an ecommerce blog. You can also check out our weekly blog content service, which will drive traffic to your site all year!
Tip #3: Host Weekly Live Social Media Events
Although social media is not enough to drive your business, it's worth exploring the possibility of hosting live events on social media. These events can showcase your personality and humor, and help you tell your story. Facebook Live events are a great way to increase word-of mouth by providing fresh content that your followers and customers can watch and take part in.
Facebook Live gained popularity in the last five years and brands are starting to notice. Over the past few years, TikTok and Instagram reels have seen a surge in popularity. Every week, businesses are getting more active on Facebook Live, Instagram, and TikTok in order to promote their products and answer customers' questions.
These platforms are great for businesses that have not yet tried them. You can create a creative campaign that is tied to your live events. These platforms are used by some companies to announce new products and throw virtual parties. Some companies use it to host Q&As with customers or industry leaders. For the remainder of the year, you should create a campaign that makes you live on social media once per week.
Bonus:Don’t use these platforms for just promoting or demoing your products. That would be boring. Enjoy more of the experience and be more playful with them.
Tip #4: Use holiday-themed graphics
Image source: Crestline
Use holiday-themed graphics to get your website visitors and subscribers excited about the holiday season. These are the most common places to update:
- Your website homepage hero section
- Cover photo for Facebook
- Cover photo for Twitter
- Your blog rss email header
- Your next custom email campaign
- Your banner and Facebook ads
- Your product pages
- Your website's header or banner section
Bonus: Add your holiday-themed graphics and promotions to a holiday event or promotion that your customers, visitors, subscribers, and clients can benefit from.
Tip #5 – Partner with another company
Partnering with a company that shares your mission and products is another creative way to increase sales. This was the case for this shady holiday partnership between Lyft and Tinder last year
Although this idea will require more planning and investment, it can drive serious word of mouth and ultimately ROI for your company if you put in the effort.
This is how it works: Find a company with whom you can collaborate on a product. Reach out to other companies or brands in your industry to ask if they are interested in producing a small quantity of products for you to sell in your stores. This is a way to (1) increase your customer base and (2) drive urgency by offering limited quantities of the product that you have collaborated on.
Bonus: Make an agreement with your partner before you start to promote and market the product. You should ensure that both parties are investing equal amounts of effort and money in getting word out about your product.
Tip #6 – Launch a Giveaway
To launch a huge giveaway for your ecommerce store, you can use a tool such as Gleam. You can't give away just one product to make your giveaway a success. You need to think larger. You can generate excitement and word-of mouth by giving away a prize package you can afford to only one person. Don't give away $20 products that no one can afford, but a $500 gift that some people may not be able to buy for themselves.
If you are a seller of travel bags, offer a complimentary stay at a resort. Offer a weekend getaway to a spa to makeup sellers. People will share your contest with their friends and family members if you are more ambitious than they think.
Participants can enter your giveaway by either entering their email address or using their Facebook account. Participants can get additional entries by taking any actions you have planned for your giveaway. You can ask a question on a landing page or website, share the contest on Facebook and Twitter, or email a referral link to a friend.
Bonus: Before you launch your giveaway, take some time to think about how you will promote it. Send an email to your subscribers? Create a blog post on it. Create a Facebook ad? Ask for help from vendors, partners and businesses in the industry. You risk investing too much time, energy and money in promotion that doesn't work.
Tip #7 – Prepare for Cyber Monday & Black Friday
If you have been in the ecommerce industry for over one year, then you are likely to have seen the ugly and good parts of Cyber Monday and Black Friday. You can use your past experiences and the data from last year's efforts to create a new strategy you can put into practice this year.
Bonus If you don't know where to begin, take some time browsing this resource from Shopify. This checklist contains 26 points that you can use for preparing your store or business for Black Friday or Cyber Monday.
Tip #8 – Promote products as gifts
Promote your products as gifts to different people to increase product awareness. Gift guides are very popular this time of year. Everyone is looking for the perfect gift for their parents, siblings, brothers, girlfriends, bosses, and boyfriends. Your products can be made easy by being positioned as the perfect gift for _____. Create gift guides on your blog to promote your products as gifts that appeal to certain people. You can also launch Facebook ads to target people who might buy your products for gifts.
Bonus – To have even greater success, contact other editors of blogs who created gift guides for 2016, and see if they can add your products to their lists for 2023.
More to you
What other things can you do to increase brand awareness and sales this fall? Comment below.
Marketing Insider Group's first article, Boost Word-of Mouth Sales for Your Ecommerce Business This Fall, appeared first on Marketing Insider Group.
Frequently Asked Questions
How does search engine optimization work?
Search Engine Marketing (SEM) is one of the most essential components of digital marketing. SEM can include paid-per-click ads, sponsored links and display ads, as well as paid inclusion, search engine optimization, social media marketing (SEO), video marketing, mobile advertising, and more.
What type of eCommerce Marketing Strategy should I follow?
There are three types to eCommerce marketing.
- Direct marketing
- Search Engine Optimization (SEO).
- Social Media Marketing
Direct marketing is sending emails directly to buyers. These emails could contain coupons, discounts, special offers, etc. This type of marketing aims to build customer loyalty and trust.
Search engine optimization is the process of improving your website's ranking in search engines such as Google, Yahoo!, and Bing. You'll get more traffic when your site appears near the top of results when people look up keywords related to your product or service.
Social media marketing is done using websites like Twitter, Facebook and Pinterest. To connect with your audience. It's free, easy to set up, and effective.
Each method has its advantages and disadvantages. SEO takes effort and time, while direct market requires less effort. If you are only focused on one aspect of eCommerce marketing, you may not see the full benefit. Combining different marketing strategies is a good idea.
For instance, you could send emails promoting your products and rank highly in search engine results. You could also advertise through social media and then link from that page to your website.
As you can see, there are many ways to market your eCommerce store. You can choose the most effective for your business, and then implement them over time. Good luck!
What are 5 marketing concepts you should know?
These five marketing concepts are:
- Branding – Your brand is the image people associate with you. It's what they think of when they hear your name. It is important to have a consistent brand identity across all media.
- Positioning – Your positioning is how you position yourself within your market. How do you describe who you are, and why should anyone care?
- Message – This describes the message. What is the point of your message? What is your point?
- Marketing mix – This combines channels, pricing, and promotions to deliver your message to your target audience.
- Measurement – How do I measure success?
What is the difference between advertising and marketing?
Advertising is communication that promotes brands or products. Advertising has a clear call of action. For example, “Buy now!” You can also click here.
Marketing is on the flip side, it's a way for your company to communicate its mission, vision, values, and other information to potential customers. Marketing is also a way to establish relationships with potential customers and current customers.
If you sell shoes online, for example, marketing can be used to tell the story of who you are and what your offer. Talk about your philosophy, history, and commitment towards quality. You could also share testimonials from customers who are satisfied with your products. Perhaps you can even hold an event where people are encouraged to visit your website by giving away free shoes.
Marketing is all about telling stories. Advertising is all about selling products.
Is there any risk associated with digital marketing
Yes, digital marketing comes with risks.
For starters, you must ensure you protect your online reputation by being careful about what you say on social networks.
You must ensure that your content does not infringe any intellectual property rights of others.
You could also lose control of the brand image you project if you fail to monitor your online presence.
You could also be vulnerable to identity theft if your personal details are used without your consent.
How to Protect Your Online Reputation:
- Be careful about what you share on social networks
- Ensure All Content Is Original And Does Not Infringe On Anyone Else's Intellectual Property Rights
- Monitor Your Brand Image
- Strong Passwords
- Use personal details only with permission
- Report Any Unauthorized Activity Immediately
- Don't Post Photos Of Yourself Or Others In A Disturbing Way
- Never divulge your social security number
- Keep Up With The Latest News
- Stay Away From Scams
- Choose a Secure Password
- Always Check For Updates
- Don't share too much information
- You should be vigilant when giving out credit card numbers
- Don't send money via E-mail
- Look out for fake websites
- Remember That Bad Reviews Can Hurt Your Business
- Regularly check your credit reports
- Keep an eye on your privacy settings
- Ask someone who is familiar with you before sharing your thoughts.
How does marketing fit in with business strategy.
Every business strategy must include marketing. Marketing is key to every business strategy. Marketing is not possible without sales. Therefore, marketing is crucial to any business strategy.
Marketing is important, but not everyone gets it. Marketing is often thought to be about advertising campaigns. Marketing is much broader than that. Marketing includes everything you do in order to communicate the company's identity, position and value in the marketplace.
Think about how you want your customers to perceive you. What will my customers think of me? How can I best present myself to the world
If you don't have the answers, marketing isn't something you've considered.
What are the primary types of marketing you use?
Marketing is the act and communication of ideas, values, messages, and information to consumers. Marketing is often used interchangeably with advertising. Marketing does not just include advertising. Marketing encompasses all forms of communication used to promote and market a product/service.
Three key components of marketing are branding, promotion and distribution. The company's brand is how it identifies with its target audience. Promotion is the process of attracting attention to your brand via paid advertisements, promotions that are free, and other public relations activities. Distribution is how you get your message across to your target audience. Distribution can be done via traditional methods such as television, radio and print. But, the new technology has made it easier.
Statistics
- Many experts recommend you share 20% of your promotional content and 80% of other valuable content you find. (marketinginsidergroup.com)
- Today, 81% of brands around the world have affiliate programs. (influencermarketinghub.com)
- This allows us to deliver CPCs that are 80% less than average and CTRs 4-5 times higher than average. (marketinginsidergroup.com)
- Companies that use personalization are seeing revenue increases ranging from 6-10%. (blog.hubspot.com)
- From 2020 to 2022, eMarketer predicts that digital marketing will grow by 36% and take up 54% of marketing budgets! (marketinginsidergroup.com)
External Links
hubspot.com
statista.com
blog.hubspot.com
moz.com
- SEO Learning Center – Moz
- [Case Study] How Moz Ranked #1 for High-Volume Keywords in Less Than 3 Months – Moz
How To
What's your marketing strategy?
How often have you heard the phrase, “If you build it, they will come”?
Well, you're wrong.
While it takes hard work to build something, it isn't enough to attract customers. To grow your business, you must use Internet Marketing Principles to reach your target audience.
Internet Marketing Principles is a set of guidelines used by marketers for creating websites, blogs or email campaigns that generate leads and sales.
For example, if you're selling handmade jewelry online, you'd better learn to use these Internet Marketing Principles to drive traffic to your site, capture emails, and close sales.
Here are some examples from Internet Marketing Principles.
- Content is King – You must make your content unique and memorable. You will lose credibility as a source for information if you copy content from others.
- Trust is built – People will trust recommendations from family and friends over Adsense and advertisements. So, if you recommend a product, make sure it's trustworthy.
- Remember to be personal. People prefer to communicate with people, rather than robots. You want your website to look real and not robotic.
- Offer value – People only give away free stuff if they feel they're getting something valuable. For their contact information, give them something for free.
- Storytelling is a powerful tool for connecting with your audience. They enable you to share your story with your audience and help you connect with them.
- Giveaways – Give things away to spread brand awareness and build loyalty.
- Using call-to-action buttons is important because they prompt users to take action.
- It is important to test all aspects of your website before it goes live.
- Keep it simple. It is more effective than being complicated. When possible, keep it simple. Your website will be easier to manage and update if it is simpler.
- Have a clear goal – A clear goal makes it easier to measure results.
- You must measure everything. It is vital to improve your marketing efforts by measuring your progress towards your goals.
- Focus on conversion. Conversion refers to turning browsers into customers.
- Get feedback. Feedback can help you improve your marketing efforts.
- Track results – Tracking your results lets you identify areas where you could improve.
- Repeat – Repetition creates momentum.
- Optimize your marketing efforts – Optimization will ensure that your marketing efforts work effectively.
- Keep your brand consistent.
- Reward yourself. – Rewards encourage you to keep going.
- Learn from others. This is one of the best methods to avoid making the same mistakes again.
- Never stop learning – Always seek out new ideas and techniques.
- To achieve sustainable growth, think long-term.
- Trust your gut instincts – Sometimes your intuition can be the best tool to guide you through your life.
- Treat each day as a trial run. Although mistakes are inevitable they teach us lessons that we wouldn’t otherwise know.
- Your weaknesses are your strengths – Knowing your strengths can help you overcome obstacles.
- Don't get discouraged – Everyone fails at least once. But don't let failure discourage you. Just try again.
- You must take some risks to be successful.
- Enjoy the ride – It's essential to living happy lives.
- Be passionate – Passion fuels motivation.
- You must be true to who you are. This is key to building trust and relationships.
- Self-knowledge is crucial for self-improvement.
- Find your tribe – It is important to find a supportive group of people who are like-minded.
- Create a vision board – Vision boards are great tools for visualizing your future.
- Ask questions – Questions are the gateway to knowledge.
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By: Michael Brenner
Title: Boost Word-of-Mouth Sales for Your E-commerce Business This Fall
Sourced From: marketinginsidergroup.com/content-marketing/boost-word-mouth-sales-ecommerce-business-fall/
Published Date: Thu, 20 Oct 2022 16:39:00 +0000